The following are the outlines of Messianic pro phecies in the book of Isaiah :—A scion of David, springing from his family, after it has fallen into a very low estate, but being also of divine nature, shall, at first in lowliness, but as a prophet filled with the spirit of God, proclaim the divine doc trine, develope the law in truth, and render it the animating principle of national life ; he shall, as high priest, by his vicarious suffering and his death, remove the guilt of his nation, and that of other nations, and finally rule as a mighty king, not only over the covenant-people, but over all nations of the earth who will subject themselves to his peaceful sceptre, not by violent compulsion, but induced by love and gratitude. He will make both the moral and the physical consequences of sin to cease ; the whole earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, and all enmity, hatred, and destruction shall be removed even from the brute creation. This is the survey of the Messianic preaching by Isaiah, of which he constantly renders prominent those portions which were most calcu lated to impress the people under the then existing circumstances. The first part of Isaiah is directed to the whole people, consequently the glory of the Messiah is here dwelt upon. The fear lest the kingdom of God should be overwhelmed by the power of heathen nations, is removed by pointing out the glorious king to come, who would elevate the now despised and apparently mean kingdom of God above all the kingdoms of this world. In the second part, which is more particularly ad dressed to the eacep), the elect, than to the whole nation, the prophet exhibits the Messiah more as a divine teacher and high-priest. The prophet here preaches righteousness through the blood of the servant of God, who will support the weakne:,s of sinners, and take upon himself their sorrows.
We may show, by an example in chap. xix. IS 25, that the views of futurity which were granted to Isaiah were great and comprehensive, and that the Spirit of God raised him above all narrow minded nationality. It is there stated that a time should come when all the heathen, subdued by the judgments of the Lord, should be converted to him, and being placed on an equality witb Israel, with equal laws, would equally partake of the kingdom of God, and form a brotherly alliance for his wor ship. Not the whole mass of Israel is destined, according to Isaiah, to future salvation, but only the small number of the converted. This truth he enounces most definitely in the sketch of his pro phecies contained in chapter vi.
Isaiah describes with equal vivacity the divine justice which punishes the sins of the nation with inexorable severity. Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Sabaoth, is the key-note of his prophecies. He describes also the divine mercy and covenant fidelity, by which there is always preserved a rem nant among the people : to them punishment itselt is a means of salvation, so that life everywhere pro ceeds from death, and the congregation itself is led to full victory and glory.
Isaiah saw the moral and religious degradation of his people, and also its external distress, both then present and to come (chap. vi.) But this did
not break his courage ; he confidently expected a better futurity, and raised himself in God above all that is visible. Isaiah is not afraid when the whole nation and its king tremble. Of this we see a re markable instance in chapter vii., and another in the time of the Assyrian invasion under Hezekiah, during which the courage of his faith rendered him the saviour of the commonwealth, and the origi nator of that great religious revival which followed the preservation of the state. The faith of the king and of the people was roused by that of Isaiah.
Isaiah stands pre-eminent above all other pro ' phets, as well in the contents and spirit of his predictions, as in their form and style. Sim plicity, clearness, sublimity, and freshness, are the never-failing. characters of his prophecies. Even Eichhorn mentions, among the first merits of Isaiah, the concinnity of his expressions, the beauti ful outline of his images, and the fine execution of his speeches. In reference to richness of imagery he stands between Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Sym bolic actions, which frequently occur in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, seldom occur in Isaiah. The same is the case with visions, strictly so called, of which there is only one, namely, that in chapter vi. ; and even it is distinguished by its simplicity and clear ness above that of the later prophets. But one characteristic of Isaiah is, that he likes to give signs—that is, a fact then present, or near at hand —as a pledge for the more distant futurity ; and that hc thus supports the feebleness of man (comp.
vii. 20 ; XxxVii. 30 ; XXXVIii. 7, sqq.) The in stances in chapters vii. and xxxviii. show how much he was convinced of his vocation, and in what inti macy he lived with the Lord, by whose assistance alone he could effect what he offers to do in the one passage, and what he grants in the other. The spiritual riches of the prophet are seen in the variety of his style, which always befits the sub ject. Whcn hc rebukes and threatens, it is like a storm, and, when he comforts, his language is as tender and mild as (to use his own words) that of a mother comforting her son. With regard to style, Isaiah is comprehensive, and the other pro phets divide his riches.
Isaiah enjoyed an authority proportionate to his gifts. We learn from history how great this authority was during his life, especially under the reign of Hezekiah. Several of his most definite prophecies were fulfilled while he was yet alive : for instance, the overthrow of the kingdoms of Syria and Israel ; the invasion of the Assyrians, and the divine deliverance from it ; the prolonga tion of life granted to Hezekiah ; and several pre dictions against foreign nations. Isaiah is honour ably mentioned in the historical books. The later prophets, especially Nahum, Habakkuk, Zepha niah, Jeremiah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, clearly prove that his book was diligently read, and that his prophecies were attentively studied.